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By KELIN DILLON

On Wednesday, Sept. 4, the controversial judicial reform proposed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) and Mexico’s ruling party the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) passed through Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies with 357 votes in favor and 130 against.

The reform, which aims to change the Mexican Constitution to allow the nation’s judges, magistrates, and ministers to be elected by popular vote, will now be sent to the Senate for further ratification.

The vote came after a lengthy and heated debate, with opposition parties accusing the reform of undermining the autonomy of the judicial branch. Institutional Revolutionary Party Deputy Ariana Rejón Lara accused the reform of abruptly ending the careers of Mexico’s federal judges and magistrates.

Wednesday’s approved reform includes only three modifications, one of which allows circuit magistrates and district judges who do not participate in judicial elections – or who participate and lose – to receive a severance package and practice as lawyers outside of their constituency for the following two years.

However, Morena and its allies celebrated the endorsement following the vote, with Morena’s party leader Ricardo Monreal hailing the reform as an innovative and much-needed change to Mexico’s justice system.

While acknowledging that the reform will impact workers’ rights, Monreal emphasized that it will only affect a small percentage of the judiciary’s workforce, with no changes to labor, economic, or social security benefits. 

The Chamber of Deputies’ legislative endorsement of the reform marks a significant step forward for Morena and AMLO as he prepares to leave office, though its passage though the lower congressional house – and potentially the Mexican Senate next – is likely to have reverberating repercussions on the value of the Mexican peso and Mexico’s international relations.